Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Fast Track to Glory by Tomasz Chrusciel My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nina has been called into consult on the translation of a recently discovered artefact, recovered from a sunken ship - strangely sunken in the middle of a lake. However when she and local hotel manager Alessandro find themselves running from the treasure hunter who found it they discover that it is not only of historical significance, but of interest to spiritual opportunists. Will they be able to prevent the ensuing apocalypse that it could create? Fast Track to Glory is an action packed novel that brings in elements of international mystery woven with spiritual intrigue that captivates the reader and pulls them along for the ride. I was impressed with both the editing and pace of the story, as I thought it gave enough potentially boring historical background without compromising the motivations and believability of the characters. I thought it was a great read and it didn’t take me very long to get through as I...

Conduct in Question by Mary E. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Harry Jenkins is a small time Toronto lawyer about to step into some big time crime cases, not that he knows that yet. Upon taking what he thought was a nice referral from an attorney friend of his who needed to avoid a conflict of interest, Harry gets swept up in a money laundering scheme involving murder, international intrigue and weirdly, the estate of one of his recently deceased clients. The first in a trilogy, Conduct in Question is a legal thriller that finds Harry as an intelligent dupe in the middle of a scheme not of his own making. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was happy to see that while the legal aspects were explained in plain English I didn’t feel like anything was dumbed down for the the reader. I felt for Harry as he wades through his own personal struggles, and for the family of poor Aunt Marjorie. The only writing critique I would offer is that sometimes it switched from person to person narrat...

The Bone Keepers by James LePore My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Catholic Church has many secrets, and this one has been kept for hundreds of years. Will it stay protected with the family who has been charged with its safety since the time of Christ? Or will it be sold to the Nazis by any one of several enterprising individuals? Follow John Tolkein and Ian Fleming before they were household names, and perhaps discover some of their inspirations behind their famous characters, as their WW2 espionage exploits take them on their fated journey. Although this is the third in the Mythmakers trilogy it was actually the first one I read, and it works well as a stand alone book. It is styled as a historical thriller, weaving fictional characters into real events, and probably fictionalized real characters, which was my impressions of Tolkein and Fleming. The author wove (not particularly subtle) allusions to Tolkein and Fleming’s famous characters and plots throughout the story, which I a...

Rebirth by Travis Starnes My rating: 4 of 5 stars John Taylor has just suffered through 3 years as a POW, and came home crushed to find the girl of his dreams now out of his reach. Wandering aimlessly, he comes upon a firefight, and his military instincts just kick in. Can he save the girl and survive the Russian mob? The first in a series starring washed up war hero John Taylor, Rebirth is an origin story fit for the character. It is written in a blunt, no nonsense style, and feels like a vet is talking you through his options as Taylor carefully but decisively considers his options. He has a honed sense of justice and take no prisoners attitude. This is a quick, easy read for those of us who appreciate character driven plot without too much frilly stuff on the side to distract. I have a feeling though, I will enjoy more of the series and discovering Taylor’s ability to outrun his demons. View all my reviews Please note, while there may be affiliate links or payment for r...

Ahriman: The Spirit of Destruction by Puja Guha My rating: 3 of 5 stars Petra retired from being an Agency field agent years ago and vowed never to return after the experiences she had. But she may be the only one who can take down the Ahriman, an assassin named after the Persian god of destruction. Will she risk her life and sanity to go back, or will she walk away from the Agency and risk the blood of thousands of innocents? Ahriman is a thriller, criss crossing the globe to track down a killer. While I loved the plot, the structure of the book was a little clunky, jumping back and forth in time a little too much and trying a little too hard to establish a somewhat predictable secret. I think it probably needed to be edited a little more thoroughly. I did like that it was still followable, because there weren’t too many characters or needlessly complicated twists. As the first of a series, though, it does a great job establishing a character with a complicated and conflicted p...

Bloodline Gypsy: Jook and Gypsies Vol. 1 by Shirley A. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Susannah has always known she was a little different. Her unconventional, nomadic childhood did nothing to prepare her for the death of her mother and grandparents in a terrible crash, or the home of her thus far absent father and his family. Finding out a mythical creature is after her and another is protecting her seems almost par for the course. She wasn’t sure how she was going to embrace her destiny, but it was barreling down in her in a live or die scenario. She was pretty sure life was the better option, but it isn’t exactly the life she planned. Yep, it’s a werewolf book. So far only one mention of vampires though, in case you were worried. I have to admit, I know almost nothing about werewolf mythology, so reading some of the history and backstory of the werewolf-gypsy relationship was pretty fascinating for me.It was well done and presented as a natural part of the story, which made f...

Church of Martyrs by Pete Fusco My rating: 4 of 5 stars Eddie, former priest and current sole occupant of the derelict Church of Martyrs in Cleveland is really not sure why he has garnered the attention of any assassin, but he’s grateful the creepy, over realistic statues of famous Church martyrs were there to save him. Now if he could just figure out what they want from him, and how to stay alive and maybe how to keep the pope alive, that would be awesome. I loved the somewhat sacrilegious humor coupled with the healthy skepticism of religion in general, although the Catholic Church was the prime target in this one. I also loved that it was a fast paced globe trotter and the added supernatural aspect, although as a social worker, I was a little frownie at the relationship progression. Still it is a great read, and anyone looking for a quick read should definitely pick this one up. View all my reviews Please note, while there may be affiliate links or payment for reviews, ...

Monarchs and Mendicants by Dan Groat My rating: 4 of 5 stars Gifford has got to get out of downtown St. Louis to flee the Hacker, an assassin who for some unknown reason targets the local homeless population. After discovering his friend, Raphael, cut to pieces he takes Tobias, Raphael’s faithful dog, and heads south, toward Benoit. There he finds a community and even somewhat steady work at the local brick yard, but also danger. Has the Hacker been tracking him? Who does the Hacker work for and why is he following Gifford? Monarchs and Mendicants is a thoughtful tale that looks at the plight of the homeless through Gifford, a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and generally down on his luck guy. He is the homeless guy that no one likes to admit exists - not a druggie or a wino, or lazy, just trying to catch a break. You can’t help but be drawn to him despite his tough exterior, and root for him as he works to survive and eventually come out of his shell to do what he does be...

The Screaming by David Graham My rating: 3 of 5 stars Teenagers are mysteriously and creatively coming up with ways to murder their parents and commit suicide, and no one can figure out the impetus. When officer Dale Franklin with the Kansas City Police Department walks in on a gruesome scene and finds himself an unwitting extra in the deceased’s YouTube video, a multinational whirlwind investigation leads to his partnering with the CDC, MI5, and a boy genius from Kenya to uncover the reason these teenagers brains are shrinking and causing them to commit vile acts. The Screaming is a thriller that is fast paced and graphic (for those of you with weak stomachs, this might be one to preview first.) Both the murder-suicides are written in gruesome detail, but also the scenes inside the teenager’s heads depict an awful environment that leads to their own destruction, which is necessary but intensely sad. While well written, I still found myself having to willfully suspend my disb...

Chrissie's Run by S.A. Mahan My rating: 4 of 5 stars The New Republic is the epitome of civilization, and as such does not tolerate deformity. When knocked-up teen Chrissie is told her unborn son will be born without his right hand or foot, she is scheduled for an abortion and sterilization, like it or not. If she wants to save her child, she must escape the only world she has ever known. Daniel is worth all the trials and tribulations she will endure, but will she survive being hunted by those who try to keep the rest of her society clueless to the real world? Or has she doomed both her son’s life and her own? Chrissie’s Run is a fast paced, post-modern thriller that takes certain modern cultural norms to their logical conclusion. It is very well written and keeps the reader engaged and wondering what exactly is the world that Chrissie has left and what world she gains by her run, and above all showcases a mother’s love for her child. I loved the glaringly obvious pro-life ...

Severed Threads by Kaylin McFarren My rating: 4 of 5 stars The first book in the Threads series, Severed Threads introduces us to unlucky Chase Cohen, a salvager who spends his time underwater treasure hunting, and Rachel Lyons, the daughter of a salvager who is determined not to rekindle a relationship with Chase, as she holds him responsible for her father’s untimely death. However, when Rachel is forced to help her brother get out of the clutches of criminals, she and Chase team up to find fabled treasure Heart of the Dragon, hidden somewhere in the wreck of the Wan Li, a legendary Chinese ghost ship, and a gamble as to whether it actually exists or not. In Severed Threads, author Kaylin McFarren does an excellent job of setting up a back story both of the fabled treasure ship and its supposed curse of Mae Li, the unrequited mistress of a sea captain, as well as the spark between Rachel and Chase. She weaves in many secondary characters well, but the focus of the story is cl...

Buried Threads by Kaylin McFarren My rating: 4 of 5 stars Rachel and Chase keep a blooming love alive while on an underwater Japanese treasure hunt. Buried Threads follows the pair during the second installment of the Threads series, where they run into the Yakuza, a soul-seeking monk, a greedy treasure hunter, a conniving Geisha, and a weird prophecy they are destined to fulfill. While the second book in a series, I read this first and had no trouble with continuity. There is some basic history of Rachel and Chase revealed during conversation, but their relationship blossoms during this book in a way that makes sense even without the first book. It is definitely a thriller, complete with sex, swordfights, and supernatural battle. I really enjoyed the writing and plot development, and while there were a lot of characters to keep track of there was some character development that didn’t hinge completely on plot twists. The sex scenes were a little much for me but that’s never bee...